VOLE PATROL

They may look harmless and cute, but voles can be a pest - they'll tunnel through beds, nibble roots and even ring-bark young fruit trees.

- RACHEL GRAHAM

Here's how to recognise the signs of voles and protect crops this autumn using wildlife-friendly methods with a simple castor oil drench as a targeted deterrent.

Two species are most often behind plot damage: the field vole and the bank vole. They're chunkier than mice, with short tails and blunt faces. Unlike moles (which leave volcano-like soil mounds), voles create shallow surface runs through grass and low vegetation, and neat holes 3-5cm wide near cover. Populations commonly spike in late summer and autumn - exactly when newly planted beds and young trees are most vulnerable.

HOW TO SPOT THE SIGNS OF DAMAGE

Sudden wilt in otherwise moist soil: seedlings or young plants collapse because stems/roots are gnawed just below the surface.

Shallow runways: narrow tracks through grass along bed edges, compost heaps and fences.

Bark stripping: neat, low gnaw marks around the base of young fruit trees or canes.

Chewed roots and tubers: beetroot, carrots, potatoes and sweetcorn can be hit hard.

Birds: If birds are pecking persistently at small holes, it can be a clue there's vole activity below.

CASE STUDY: WHEN VOLES MOVE IN

Early in the summer I spent half an hour carefully cutting a vole free from my strawberry netting. At the time it felt like a one-off rescue - little did I know it was the first sign of what was to come.